Handrail post support



Sept, 3@, 1958 c. D. IDDINGS EIAL 2,854,252

HANDRAIL POST SUPPORT Filed April 25, 1955 bay/17%;; Q

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United States Patent Q pail HANDRAIL POST SUPPORT Charles D. Iddings and Robert K. Billings, Tulsa, Okla, assignors to Lee C. Moore Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 25, 1955, Serial No. 503,726

1 Claim. (Cl. 287-54) This invention relates to supports for the posts of handrails, and more particularly to means for detachably connecting such posts to oil well derrick substructures and engine foundations.

It is common practice to erect railings or guardrails, referred to herein as handrails, around derrick substructures, engine foundations and the like for obvious safety reasons. In many cases it is desirable that the handrails be demountable, as when a substructure is to be moved to another location. It therefore has been the customary practice to secure vertical socket members to the substructure to receive the lower ends of the handrail posts, but sockets have two disadvantages. In the first place, with oil field equipment it is difficult to hold tolerances very close, so it often is found that either the posts fit the sockets too tightly or so loosely that the handrail can swing back and forth. The other major shortcoming is that the posts seldom are in perfect alignment or spaced apart exactly the same distance as the sockets. This makes it extremely difiicult in some cases, or even impossible, to insert the posts in the sockets.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a handrail post support which will accommodate posts of different diameters, which is shiftable laterally a short distance to allow for differences in post spacing, and which will clamp a post firmly.

In accordance with this invention, a pair of laterally spaced vertical clamping plates are provided in their inner ends with a pair of aligned holes, through which a bolt loosely extends. The bolt is mounted in a bracket, away from which the plates extend. The central portions of the plates have opposing areas bowed away from each other to form recesses adapted to receive a vertical post that is disposed between the plates. The outer ends of the plates are connected by a fastening member that draws the plates toward each other to clamp the post between the plates. Preferably, the portions of the plates between their outer ends and the post-receiving recesses are bowed away from each other to form central longitudinal ribs provided with aligned openings, through which the fastening member extends. It also is highly desirable for the clamps to have only line contact with the bracket so that they can be adjusted laterally to some extent.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of the post support;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the flooring removed; and

Fig. 3 is an end view.

Referring to the drawings, a bracket is shown which is one of several parallel members that support flooring 1 of an oil well drilling engine foundation, or a derrick or mast substructure. Each bracket may be formed from a pair of horizontal angle bars 2, the vertical flanges of which are spaced apart by a spacing block 3 so that a slot 4 (Fig. 2) is formed between the bars. The slot is open at the end of the bars, and the side walls of the 2 slot are shown provided with two vertically spaced pairs of aligned holes 6. A bolt 7 extends through each pair of holes and across the slot between them.

These bolts support a pair of vertical clamping plates 8, which extend away from the end of the bracket. The plates-are spaced apart throughout their length, and their inner ends are provided with holes 9 (Fig. 2) that the bolts extend through. The holes are slightly larger than the bolts to permit the plates to be canted on them for a purpose that will be mentioned presently. The outer ends of the plates are connected by a fastening member, most suitably a bolt 11 extending through openings 12 in the plates. Between these openings and the bracket the central areas of the plates are bowed outward away from each other at 13 to form vertical grooves or recesses that receive and fit part way around the lower end of one of the posts 14 that support a horizontal handrail 15 (Fig. 1). When the post is first inserted between the plates, a collar 16 on the post rests on top of the plates to support the post. The outer or clamping bolt 11 then is tightened to draw the plates toward each other and clamp the post tightly between them. The angle bars 2 will limit the distance that the inner ends of the plates can spread apart.

To permit the use of thin plates and yet maintain the necessary stifiness, the outer portions of the plates between their outer ends and the post may be bowed away from each other to form longitudinal strengthening ribs 17. The ribs are located midway between the upper and lower edges of the plates and contain the openings 12 through which the clamping bolt 11 extends.

A feature of this invention is that the two clamping plates preferably do not have parallel inner ends. Instead, the portions of the plates in the bracket slot 4 converge toward each other as they approach spacing block 3, as shown in Fig. 2. This results in both plates normally being spaced from the side walls of the bracket slot, except at its outer end where the plates engage those Walls only along their vertical outer edges. The degree of convergence can be controlled either by bending the plates originally or by the depth of the post-receiving recesses. With this arrangement, the clamp can be moved a short distance sideways in either direction in order to receive a post that may not be spaced the correct distance from the other posts supporting the handrail, because the clamping plates can pivot on the ends of the bracket bars 2 until one or the other of the plates fits flat against the adjoining bar. It will be obvious that, due to bolt 11, the clamp can be opened or closed sufficiently to accommodate posts varying considerably in diameter.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

A handrail post support comprising a bracket provided with a laterally opening slot having spaced side walls with a pair of aligned holes therethrough, a bolt extending through said holes and across the slot, a pair of laterally spaced clamping plates having perforated inner ends loosely mounted on said bolt, the plates projecting out of said slot and their projecting portions having opposing areas bowed away from each other to form recesses adapted to receive a vertical post between the plates, the portion of each plate in said slot being flat and inclined inwardly of the slot away from the adjoining side wall, and a fastening member connecting the outer ends of the 3 platesfordrawingihem t'oward each other to clamp the post between the plates and spread said inclinedkportions. into tight engagement with only the outer ends of said side walls.

References Cited 1111 meme bf this patent 2 UNITED "STATES PATENTS Jordan ;2 Inne19, 1894 Carpenter etval. -.a June 3, 1913 10 

